We were lucky to catch up with Unhae Park recently and have shared our conversation below.

Unhae, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

Since I was a kid, my parents have been always so supportive of my decisions when it comes to my future. I knew since I was very young, that I love games and films so much and I want to contribute to creating one of them. However, I didn’t know how much effort and luck it takes for me to enter the industry. I see that incredibly talented and hard-working people still have a hard time getting their first job, and even a hard time keeping the job in this fast-shifting industry and market. I realized that even if I work hard and study more, sometimes I just need to be lucky, which is not always fair.

When I told my family that I wanted to study Animation and special effects in the States, my parent didn’t try to convince me how difficult it would be to get a job in the industry. They didn’t support me because they didn’t know how difficult it can be, they supported me because they knew it was what I wanted to commit myself to. They considered my passion before theirs.

I have met so many amazing people in the course of my life, people who would try to help me out of pure goodwill. However, as I get older I see there is no one like my parents, who would work so hard for their entire lives to help me have a better life. Even when I’m struggling with my life, they support me and my decisions. I couldn’t be luckier to have them as my parents.

Unhae, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m currently at the Advertising agency Bond located in Hollywood, Los Angeles. I came to the US from South Korea when I was 19 years old to study Animation, dreaming of becoming a part of the Entertainment Industry. I wanted to be part of creating something that makes people laugh, cry, think, and most importantly, just something they can enjoy. My story is probably one of the common LA stories, a foreigner came to the center of the Entertainment industry to pursue their passion.

At my current work, we produce key art for our clients, such as Disney, Warner Bros, Amazon Games, DC and etc. I have participated in creating posters and key art for Shazam Fury of the Gods, Lost Ark, and Mortal Kombat Onslaught. I mainly use Maya, Zbrush, Substance Painter, and Arnold Renderer to pose, light, and render 3D images.

I enjoy the aspect of my work that there are stories and characteristics I can deliver by small details in posing and lighting. It is also fun that I get to work on big IPs that have fans who love the characters. Sometimes I would go on the internet to see what people say about the posters I participated in. It can’t be always only good words and compliments, but I appreciate there are people who would look into the work I participated in and take the time to share their thoughts about it.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I believe society can support artists by paying and crediting them fairly. If society can offer artists more job security, I believe that would also be a huge step forward for artists’ well beings. It will motivate artists to commit to their work more confidently without worries. If an artist is only hired project by project, they can’t be always sure how long the job will last or how long it will take to find the next project. This can be difficult also because the quality of health care we get tends to be bound to the employer in the US. Moreover, it is so common nowadays that artists from different countries to participate in creating films or games. However, sometimes they can’t get fair pay or credit for the work they did. Especially now remote work is so common, it is easier to work with talents from different countries.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

When I see the posters I participated in on the streets or people talking about it on the internet, it feels just so awesome. I feel like creating art can be pretty lonely work. I would get lots of feedback and help from other people at work, but mostly I am the judge of my own work. When I try hard to create something and it communicates in any form to others when it is released to the world, that is a very nice feeling. I like creating something that delivers emotions and thoughts to people, and I am communicating with people I don’t know and never met through my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.unhaepark.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/unhae-park-31576a1b3

Image Credits
Works by BOND, last 2 images by Bellzi